Wednesday, April 17, 2013

There IS Good in the World!

I don't know about you, but sometimes the news can be really depressing. With the tragic bombing in Boston this week, and all the other sad stories that run on every channel at every hour, it's easy to get discouraged about all the GOOD that is actually in this world. I keep seeing this Mr. Rogers quote everywhere about in times of tragedy to always look for the helpers...there are always helpers.

I've had that on my mind today, as I looked around at my kids and realized that if all the "bad" affects me this way, how does it affect our children? How can we keep them sheltered from things that go on each and every day, and at the same time, teach them to be good and kind to one another, and to always look for those helpers.

So, in the fog of all these thoughts, I headed to the grocery store tonight. Standing in the water aisle, this couple...two complete strangers...walk up to me, hand me a $50 gift card, and say "We want you to have this. Jesus loves you.".

I just stood there... in shock, in awe.. I'm not sure. I said thank you a gazillion times, and there was hugs and smiles, and then they simply walked away. I watched them walk up to another woman with 3 kids in tow, and do the same thing.

It was a beautiful thing.

And, it was a beautiful reminder that there IS good in this world, and there are those that are a testament to it. We just have to LOOK for it.

And, more importantly, it struck me that we have to BE it.

This is not my normal blog post, but this moment just inspired me, and I wanted to share. I think we are charged with so much as teachers... and one of the most important things is to teach children to "find the helpers and BE the helpers".

One of my most favorite quotes is Ghandi's, "Be the change you want to see in the world". I know, as teachers, we each live this every single day, but I want to be mindful of teaching my kiddies to be that change, as well.

Thanks for listening & sticking with me through my ramble. It was just such an amazing act of kindness, I had to share. I am definitely planning on paying it forward, and just hope that more and more people do the same.

Have a wonderful Wednesday, and no matter what gets you down, remember, there IS good in this world :)

Thank you for sharing this. Your students are so lucky to have you:) You are so right if we want good in the world we need to be part of making it happen. Thanks for reminding me.MariaFirst Grade Carousel

Love this post. We do this all the time at church using what we call "Just Because" cards. We have to show the love like He would do, all the time, but especially in today's world. So many don't see it anymore...but you have to step up and step out and be that person who can show that there is good in this world.

That is the sweetest thing ever. I live just outside of Boston (only 20 minutes from the bombing site). My favorite quote i've seen so far (and posted) is the Mr. Rogers quote: "When I was a boy and would see scary things in the news, my mother would always say to me, 'look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping'". I hope I can deliver that message to my munchkins when we all go back to school on Monday.